Managing Uplink Timing Advance Configuration

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments include methods for managing uplink timing advance configuration of wireless devices by a base station. A wireless device may send an initial access signal to a base station, receive from the base station an initial timing advance value responsive to the initial access signal, and send to the base station a next signal comprising a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) waveform via uplink (UL) receive (Rx) points over two or more beams. The base station may receive the next signal including the PRACH waveform via the two or more UL Rx points, select a refined timing advance value based on the signal, and send the refined timing advance value to the wireless device. The wireless device may receive the refined timing advance value and send a further signal to the base station via one of the UL Rx points using the refined timing advance.

BACKGROUND

Standards for Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) address usingmillimeter wave (“mmWave”) communications to expand communicationbandwidth. To use millimeter wave frequency bands to provide wirelesscommunication services to wireless devices, a large number of smallcells that communicate with a larger base station (such as a macro cellor node, or a central cell or node) via a backhaul communication linkmay be deployed within a given area. Deploying a large number of smallcells within a given area is sometimes termed a “dense deployment.” Insuch communication system deployments, the base station has sufficienttransmit power to transmit signals to wireless devices within an area,but wireless devices may have relatively limited transmit power andstored energy in their batteries. So, some dense deployments may includeuplink receive (UL Rx) points to receive signals from wireless devicesand convey the received signals to a base station via a backhaulcommunication link. However, the asymmetrical nature of uplink anddownlink signals in such dense deployments may create challenges inaligning the timing of the uplink and downlink signals.

SUMMARY

Various aspects include methods that may be performed by a processor ofa wireless device for managing uplink timing advance configuration.Various aspects include sending an initial access signal to a basestation, receiving from the base station an initial timing advance valueresponsive to the initial access signal, sending to the base station anext signal including a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) waveformvia two or more uplink (UL) receive (Rx) points over two or more beams,receiving from the base station a refined timing advance value, andsending a further signal to the base station via one of the two or moreUL Rx points using the refined timing advance value.

In some aspects, receiving from the base station an initial timingadvance value responsive to the initial access signal may includereceiving from the base station a dedicated Random Access Channel (RACH)occasion, a PRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for the next signal, andsending to the base station the next signal may include sending the nextsignal using the dedicated RACH occasion, PRACH format, and PRACHsequence. In some aspects, receiving from the base station an initialtiming advance value responsive to the initial access signal may includereceiving from the base station a number of repetitions for the nextsignal, and sending to the base station the next signal may includesending the next signal using the number of repetitions.

In some aspects, receiving from the base station an initial timingadvance value responsive to the initial access signal may includereceiving from the base station a number of beam sweeps for the nextsignal, and sending to the base station the next signal may includesending the next signal using the number of beam sweeps. In someaspects, receiving from the base station an initial timing advance valueresponsive to the initial access signal may include receiving from thebase station a plurality of PRACH formats for the next signal, andsending to the base station the next signal may include sending theplurality of PRACH formats. In some aspects, the refined timing advancevalue may correspond to one of the two or more UL Rx points.

Various aspects include methods that may be performed by a processor ofa base station for managing uplink timing advance configuration. Variousaspects may include receiving an initial access signal from a wirelessdevice, sending to the wireless device an initial timing advance valuebased on the initial access signal, receiving from the wireless device anext signal including a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) waveformvia two or more uplink (UL) receive (Rx) points over two or more beams,selecting a refined timing advance value based on the next signalreceived via the two or more UL Rx points, and sending the refinedtiming advance value to the wireless device.

In some aspects, sending to the wireless device an initial timingadvance value based on the initial access signal may include sending tothe wireless device a dedicated Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, aPRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for the next signal from the wirelessdevice. In some aspects, sending to the wireless device an initialtiming advance value based on the initial access signal may includesending to the wireless device a number of repetitions for the nextsignal from the wireless device. In some aspects, sending to thewireless device an initial timing advance value based on the initialaccess signal may include sending to the wireless device a number ofbeam sweeps for the next signal from the wireless device.

In some aspects, sending to the wireless device an initial timingadvance value based on the initial access signal may include sending tothe wireless device a plurality of PRACH formats for the next signalfrom the wireless device. In some aspects, the refined timing advancevalue corresponds to a UL Rx point from among the two or more UL Rxpoints. In some aspects, sending the refined timing advance value to thewireless device may include sending to the wireless device one or moreof a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal and a PhysicalDownlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) signal.

Further aspects may include a base station having a processor configuredto perform one or more operations of any of the methods described above.Further aspects may include a non-transitory processor-readable storagemedium having stored thereon processor-executable instructionsconfigured to cause a processor of a base station to perform operationsof the methods summarized above. Further aspects include a base stationhaving means for performing functions of the methods summarized above.Further aspects include a system on chip for use in a base station thatincludes a processor configured to perform one or more operations of themethods summarized above. Further aspects include a system in a packagethat includes two systems on chip for use in a base station thatincludes a processor configured to perform one or more operations of anyof the methods described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theclaims, and together with the general description given above and thedetailed description given below, serve to explain the features of theclaims.

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram illustrating an example communicationssystem suitable for implementing various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computingsystem suitable for implementing various embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a component block diagram illustrating an example of asoftware architecture including a radio protocol stack for the user andcontrol planes in wireless communications suitable for implementingvarious embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are component block diagrams illustrating an examplesystem configured to manage uplink timing advance configuration.

FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example method formanaging uplink timing advance configuration according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example method formanaging uplink timing advance configuration according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example method formanaging uplink timing advance configuration according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 8 is a component block diagram illustrating an example networkcomputing device.

FIG. 9 is a component block diagram illustrating an example wirelessdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.References made to particular examples and implementations are forillustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of theclaims.

Various embodiments include methods, and wireless devices and basestations configured to implement the methods, of managing uplink timingadvance configurations that are particularly useful in dense deploymentwireless communication settings. In a dense deployment using UL Rxpoints (sometimes referred to as an “uplink dense deployment”), the basestation transmits a downlink signal to the wireless device, and thewireless device transmits an uplink signal that is received by the UL Rxpoint. A dense deployment environment may include a plurality of UL Rxpoints that are spatially separated and deployed to improve UL signalreception from wireless devices. In such network deployments, thewireless device receive no information indicating that its uplinksignals are received by (or received better by) an UL Rx point ratherthan by the base station supporting the cell on which the wirelessdevice is camped. In such an environment, the uplink and the downlinkare asymmetrical because the wireless device receives downlinktransmissions from the base station but uplink transmission from thewireless device are received by an UL Rx point (instead of the basestation). Because the uplink and the downlink are asymmetrical,correctly aligning the timing of uplink and downlink signals can bechallenging.

As used herein, “beam” refers to a signal formed at a transmittingdevice through the use of a beamforming or beam steering techniqueapplied via a combination of physical equipment and signal processingvariously referred to as a beamforming function, a mapping function, ora spatial filter. Beam reception by a receiving device may involveconfiguring physical equipment and signal processing of the receivingdevice to receive signals transmitted in a beam by the transmittingdevice. In some situations, beam reception by a receiving device alsomay involve configuring physical equipment and signal processing of thereceiving device via a beamforming function, a mapping function, or aspatial filter so as to preferentially receive signals (e.g., withenhanced gain) from a particular direction such as in a directionaligned with a transmitting device.

The term “beamforming” is used herein to refer to antenna array designand signal processing techniques used for directional signalcommunications and/or to achieve spatial selectivity of radio frequency(RF) signal reception. Beamforming on the transmitter end ofcommunications may be accomplished by selective delaying (known as“phase shifting”) of signals coupled to different elements in an antennaarray so that RF signals emitted by the antenna array at a particularangle relative to the antenna array are enhanced through constructiveinterference while RF signals emitted by the antenna array at otherangles (relative to the antenna) exhibit lower signal strength due todestructive interference. Beamforming on the receiver end ofcommunications may be accomplished by processing signals received byelements in an antenna array through phase shifting circuits so that RFsignals received at particular angles relative to the receiving antennaarray are enhanced through constructive interference while RF signalsreceived at other angles relative to the wireless device are reduced inperceived signal strength through destructive interference. Usingbeamforming techniques, RF signals may be transmitted (e.g., by a basestation or wireless device) in one or more directional “beams” withinthe millimeter band for ultra-wideband communications. Each of suchdirectional beams may be controlled by the transmitter using beamformingtechniques to sweep in one or two dimensions (i.e., azimuth andelevation directions). Beamforming in both transmitters and receiversmay be accomplished using analog (e.g., phase shifter) circuits anddigital processing techniques. To encompass both techniques, referenceis sometimes made herein to “analog/RF beamforming” techniques andequipment.

The term “spatial filter” is used herein to refer to hardware and/orsignal processing used by a device (such as a wireless device or a basestation) to perform beamforming for signal reception (also referred toas spatial filtering) of a wireless transmission.

The term “wireless device” is used herein to refer to any one or all ofuser equipment (UE), cellular telephones, smartphones, portablecomputing devices, wireless router devices, wireless appliances,personal or mobile multimedia players, laptop computers, tabletcomputers, smartbooks, ultrabooks, palmtop computers, wirelesselectronic mail receivers, multimedia Internet-enabled cellulartelephones, medical devices and equipment, biometric sensors/devices,wearable devices including smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses,smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (for example, smart rings and smartbracelets), entertainment devices (for example, wireless gamingcontrollers, music and video players, satellite radios, etc.),wireless-network enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices includingsmart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, large andsmall machinery and appliances for home or enterprise use, wirelesscommunication elements within autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles,wireless devices affixed to or incorporated into various mobileplatforms, global positioning system devices, and similar electronicdevices that include a memory, wireless communication components and aprogrammable processor.

The term “system on chip” (SOC) is used herein to refer to a singleintegrated circuit (IC) chip that contains multiple resources orprocessors integrated on a single substrate. A single SOC may containcircuitry for digital, analog, mixed-signal, and radio-frequencyfunctions. A single SOC also may include any number of general purposeor specialized processors (digital signal processors, modem processors,video processors, etc.), memory blocks (such as ROM, RAM, Flash, etc.),and resources (such as timers, voltage regulators, oscillators, etc.).SOCs also may include software for controlling the integrated resourcesand processors, as well as for controlling peripheral devices.

The term “system in a package” (SIP) may be used herein to refer to asingle module or package that contains multiple resources, computationalunits, cores or processors on two or more IC chips, substrates, or SOCs.For example, a SIP may include a single substrate on which multiple ICchips or semiconductor dies are stacked in a vertical configuration.Similarly, the SIP may include one or more multi-chip modules (MCMs) onwhich multiple ICs or semiconductor dies are packaged into a unifyingsubstrate. A SIP also may include multiple independent SOCs coupledtogether via high speed communication circuitry and packaged in closeproximity, such as on a single motherboard or in a single wirelessdevice. The proximity of the SOCs facilitates high speed communicationsand the sharing of memory and resources.

As used herein, the terms “network,” “system,” “wireless network,”“cellular network,” and “wireless communication network” mayinterchangeably refer to a portion or all of a wireless network of acarrier associated with a wireless device and/or subscription on awireless device. The techniques described herein may be used for variouswireless communication networks, such as Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), FDMA, orthogonal FDMA(OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and other networks. In general,any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographicarea. Each wireless network may support at least one radio accesstechnology, which may operate on one or more frequency or range offrequencies. For example, a CDMA network may implement UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) (including Wideband Code DivisionMultiple Access (WCDMA) standards), CDMA2000 (including IS-2000, IS-95and/or IS-856 standards), etc. In another example, a TDMA network mayimplement GSM Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE). In anotherexample, an OFDMA network may implement Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA) (includingLTE standards), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM®, etc.Reference may be made to wireless networks that use LTE standards, andtherefore the terms “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access,”“E-UTRAN” and “eNodeB” may also be used interchangeably herein to referto a wireless network. However, such references are provided merely asexamples, and are not intended to exclude wireless networks that useother communication standards. For example, while various ThirdGeneration (3G) systems, Fourth Generation (4G) systems, and FifthGeneration (5G) systems are discussed herein, those systems arereferenced merely as examples and future generation systems (e.g., sixthgeneration (6G) or higher systems) may be substituted in the variousexamples.

As noted above, there are challenges in aligning the timing of theuplink and downlink signals in dense deployments of UL Rx pointssupporting one or a few base stations while avoiding an increase inmessaging overhead in the communication system. This is because in adense deployment, uplink signals are received by an UL Rx point while awireless device receives downlink signals from a base station.Conventional solutions to these challenges may be inefficient. Forexample, a wireless device may be configured to transmit an initialaccess signal repetitively using different uplink spatial filters, andUL Rx points may be configured to perform beam sweeping using differentspatial filters. The performance of beam sweeping by the UL Rx pointsmay provide sufficient information for a base station to determine anappropriate uplink timing for the wireless device. However, therepetitive transmission by the wireless device of the initial accesssignal causes a substantial increase in signaling overhead. Further, thebase station must allocate sufficient uplink resources to enable thewireless device to repetitively transmit the initial access signal.

Various embodiments enable wireless devices and base stations to performmethods for managing uplink timing advance configuration in densedeployments of UL Rx points supporting one or a few base stations. Invarious embodiments, a wireless device may send an initial access signalto a base station that includes a signal that is part of an initialaccess process or procedure, such as a Random Access Channel (RACH)procedure. In some embodiments, the initial access signal may include aMsg1 signal of a 6-step RACH procedure. In various embodiments, thewireless device may send the initial access signal using parameters(e.g., signal transmit power) to reach a base station and not justnearby UL Rx points.

In some embodiments, the base station may receive the initial accesssignal and, in response, send to the wireless device an initial timingadvance value based on the initial access signal. In some embodiments,the base station may send the initial timing advance value in a Msg2 asignal of a 6-step RACH procedure. In some embodiments, the base stationmay determine the initial timing advance value based on the Msg1 signalreceived by the base station. In some situations, the initial timingadvance indicated by the base station may be zero, or the base stationmay not include any initial timing advance in the Msg 2 a signal. Forexample, the base station may determine that an initial timing advancevalue based on the Msg1 signal may not correspond sufficiently to anappropriate UL Rx point.

The base station may have access to information indicating a location ofone or more UL Rx points. In some embodiments, the base station mayperform a measurement (e.g., of signal strength) of the Msg1 signal. Thebase station may determine or estimate a distance of the wireless devicefrom the base station based on the measurement of the Msg1 signal. Basedat least in part on the determined or estimated distance of the wirelessdevice from the base station, and the location of the one or more UL Rxpoints, the base station may determine the initial timing advance value.

In some embodiments, the base station may send information to thewireless device to configure RACH occasions, one or more PRACH formats,and one or more PRACH sequences for a next signal to be transmitted bythe wireless device. In some embodiments, the base station may indicatea number of RACH occasions to be used for repetitions per beam of thenext signal to be transmitted by the wireless device. In someembodiments, the base station may indicate a different PRACH sequencefor each repetition per beam. In some embodiments, the base station maysend information to the wireless device to configure a PRACH waveformfor the next signal to be transmitted by the wireless device. In someembodiments, the base station may send information to the wirelessdevice to configure a cyclic prefix and/or a guard time for the nextsignal to be transmitted by the wireless device. In some embodiments,the cyclic prefix and/or guard time for the next signal may be differentfrom a cyclic prefix or guard time used by the wireless device totransmit the initial access signal. In some embodiments, the basestation may send information to the wireless device to configuretransmit power control and/or channel access parameters for the nextsignal to be transmitted by the wireless device.

In some embodiments, the base station may send to the wireless deviceinformation indicating a dedicated Random Access Channel (RACH)occasion, a PRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for the next signal fromthe wireless device. In some embodiments, the base station may sendinformation indicating a number of repetitions for the wireless deviceto use or perform in a next signal from the wireless device. In someembodiments, the base station may send information indicating a numberof beam sweeps for the wireless device to use or perform in the nextsignal from the wireless device. In some embodiments, the base stationmay send information indicating a plurality of PRACH formats for thewireless device to use in the next signal from the wireless device. Insome embodiments, the initial timing advance may be zero.

In some embodiments, the wireless device may send to the base station anext signal that includes a PRACH waveform via two or more UL Rx pointsover two or more beams. In some embodiments, the wireless device maysend the next signal in a Msg3 a signal of a 6-step RACH procedure. Insome embodiments, the wireless device may send the next signal using thePRACH waveform indicated by the base station. In some embodiments, thewireless device may send the next signal using the PRACH waveforminstead of or in place of a demodulation reference signal (DM RS). Insome embodiments, the wireless device may send the next signal using thededicated RACH occasion, PRACH format(s), and PRACH sequence(s)indicated by the base station. In this manner, the wireless device maysend the next signal using the indicated PRACH waveform with repetitionand beam sweeping.

In some embodiments, the base station may send to the wireless device arefined timing advance value. In some embodiments, the base station maydetermine the refined timing advance value based on the next signal sentby the wireless device via the two or more UL Rx points over the two ormore beams. In some embodiments, the base station may send the refinedtiming advance value in a Msg2 b signal of a 6-step RACH procedure. Insome embodiments, the base station may send information indicatinguplink grant parameters for the wireless device to use in sending afurther signal. In some embodiments, the base station may address therefined timing advance value specifically to the wireless device, forexample, using a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier(TC-RNTI). In some embodiments, the refined timing advance value maycorrespond to a UL Rx point from among the two or more UL Rx points. Inthis manner, the refined timing advance value may enable the alignmentof the timing of downlink signals from the base station to the wirelessdevice and uplink signals from the wireless device that are received bythe UL Rx point.

In some embodiments, if the base station determines the initial timingadvance to be zero, the base station may determine the refined timingadvance value for the full cell size or range of coverage for the UL Rxpoint to which the refined timing advance value corresponds. In someembodiments, if the base station determines the initial timing advanceto be a non-zero timing advance, the base station may balance therefined timing advance value with respect to the initial timing advancevalue. In some situations, the base station may reduce the refinedtiming advance value based on the value or amount of the initial timingadvance.

In some embodiments, the base station may send to the wireless device aphysical downlink control channel (PDCCH) signal and a physical downlinkshared channel (PDSCH) signal. In such embodiments, the PDSCH signal mayinclude the refined timing advance value in a payload. In suchembodiments, the PDCCH signal may include uplink grant parameters for afurther signal to be transmitted by the wireless device. In someembodiments, the base station may send to the wireless device a PDCCHsignal, such as downlink control information (DCI), that includes uplinkgrant parameters for the wireless device and the refined timing advancevalue.

In some embodiments, if the base station has sent an initial timingvalue to the wireless device, the base station may send to the wirelessdevice a 6 bit timing advance command (e.g., as part of the Msg2 bsignal) to indicate the refined timing advance value. In someembodiments, the base station may include the 6 bit timing advancecommand in a medium access command control element (MAC CE). In someembodiments, the base station may include the 6 bit timing advancecommand in an uplink grant address to the TC-RNTI. In some embodiments,the base station may reduce the 6 bit timing advance command to 5 bits,for example, with a smaller timing advance range, or with reduced timingadvance granularity. In such embodiments, the base station may includethe 5 bit timing advance command in bits for a New Data Indicator (NDI,1 bit) and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ, 4 bits).

In some embodiments, if the base station has not sent an initial timingvalue to the wireless device (e.g., the initial timing value was zero),the base station may send to the wireless device a 12 bit timing advancecommand (e.g., as part of the Msg2 b signal) to indicate the refinedtiming advance value. The 6 bit timing advance command or the 12 bittiming advance command may indicate an index value corresponding to atiming advance value.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communications system 100 suitablefor implementing various embodiments. The communications system 100 maybe a 5G NR network, or any other suitable network such as an LTEnetwork.

The communications system 100 may include a heterogeneous networkarchitecture that includes a core network 140 and a variety of mobiledevices (illustrated as wireless device 120 a-120 e in FIG. 1 ). Thecommunications system 100 also may include a number of base stations(illustrated as the BS 110 a, the BS 110 b, the BS 110 c, and the BS 110d) and other network entities. In some implementations, one or more ofthe base stations (such as 110 b, 110 c) may be configured to functionas an uplink receive (UL Rx) point.

A base station is an entity that communicates with wireless devices(mobile devices), and also may be referred to as an NodeB, a Node B, anLTE evolved nodeB (eNB), an access point (AP), a radio head, a transmitreceive point (TRP), a New Radio base station (NR BS), a 5G NodeB (NB),a Next Generation NodeB (gNB), or the like. Each base station mayprovide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. Theterm “cell” may refer to a coverage area of a base station, a basestation subsystem serving this coverage area, or a combination thereof,depending on the context in which the term is used.

A base station 110 a-110 d may provide communication coverage for amacro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, another type of cell, or acombination thereof. A macro cell may cover a relatively largegeographic area (for example, several kilometers in radius) and mayallow unrestricted access by mobile devices with service subscription. Apico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by mobile devices with service subscription. A femtocell may cover a relatively small geographic area (for example, a home)and may allow restricted access by mobile devices having associationwith the femto cell (for example, mobile devices in a closed subscribergroup (CSG)). A base station for a macro cell may be referred to as amacro BS. A base station for a pico cell may be referred to as a picoBS. A base station for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS ora home BS. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1 , a base station 110 amay be a macro BS for a macro cell 102 a, a base station 110 b may be apico BS for a pico cell 102 b, and a base station 110 c may be a femtoBS for a femto cell 102 c. A base station 110 a-110 d may support one ormultiple (for example, three) cells. The terms “eNB”, “base station”,“NR BS”, “gNB”, “TRP”, “AP”, “node B”, “5G NB”, and “cell” may be usedinterchangeably herein.

In some examples, a cell may not be stationary, and the geographic areaof the cell may move according to the location of a mobile base station.In some examples, the base stations 110 a-110 d may be interconnected toone another as well as to one or more other base stations or networknodes (not illustrated) in the communications system 100 through varioustypes of backhaul interfaces, such as a direct physical connection, avirtual network, or a combination thereof using any suitable transportnetwork.

The base station 110 a-110 d may communicate with the core network 140over a wired or wireless communication link 126. The wireless device 120a-120 e may communicate with the base station 110 a-110 d over awireless communication link 122.

The wired communication link 126 may use a variety of wired networks(such as Ethernet, TV cable, telephony, fiber optic and other forms ofphysical network connections) that may use one or more wiredcommunication protocols, such as Ethernet, Point-To-Point protocol,High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), Advanced Data Communication ControlProtocol (ADCCP), and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP).

The communications system 100 also may include relay stations (such asrelay BS 110 d). A relay station is an entity that can receive atransmission of data from an upstream station (for example, a basestation or a mobile device) and send a transmission of the data to adownstream station (for example, a wireless device or a base station). Arelay station also may be a wireless device that can relay transmissionsfor other wireless devices. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1 , arelay station 110 d may communicate with macro the base station 110 aand the wireless device 120 d in order to facilitate communicationbetween the base station 110 a and the wireless device 120 d. A relaystation also may be referred to as a relay base station, a relay basestation, a relay, etc.

The communications system 100 may be a heterogeneous network thatincludes base stations of different types, for example, macro basestations, pico base stations, femto base stations, relay base stations,etc. These different types of base stations may have different transmitpower levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts oninterference in communications system 100. For example, macro basestations may have a high transmit power level (for example, 5 to 40Watts) whereas pico base stations, femto base stations, and relay basestations may have lower transmit power levels (for example, 0.1 to 2Watts).

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of base stations and mayprovide coordination and control for these base stations. The networkcontroller 130 may communicate with the base stations via a backhaul.The base stations also may communicate with one another, for example,directly or indirectly via a wireless or wireline backhaul.

The wireless devices 120 a, 120 b, 120 c may be dispersed throughoutcommunications system 100, and each wireless device may be stationary ormobile. A wireless device also may be referred to as an access terminal,a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc.

A macro base station 110 a may communicate with the communicationnetwork 140 over a wired or wireless communication link 126. Thewireless devices 120 a, 120 b, 120 c may communicate with a base station110 a-110 d over a wireless communication link 122.

Wired communication links may use a variety of wired networks (such asEthernet, TV cable, telephony, fiber optic and other forms of physicalnetwork connections) that may use one or more wired communicationprotocols, such as Ethernet, Point-To-Point protocol, High-Level DataLink Control (HDLC), Advanced Data Communication Control Protocol(ADCCP), and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

The wireless communication links 122, 124 may include a plurality ofcarrier signals, frequencies, or frequency bands, each of which mayinclude a plurality of logical channels. The wireless communicationlinks 122 and 124 may utilize one or more radio access technologies(RATs). Examples of RATs that may be used in a wireless communicationlink include 3GPP LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G (such as NR), GSM, Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Time DivisionMultiple Access (TDMA), and other mobile telephony communicationtechnologies cellular RATs. Further examples of RATs that may be used inone or more of the various wireless communication links 122, 124 withinthe communication system 100 include medium range protocols such asWi-Fi, LTE-U, LTE-Direct, LAA, MuLTEfire, and relatively short rangeRATs such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE).

Certain wireless networks (such as LTE) utilize orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrierfrequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDMpartition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers,which are also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarriermay be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent inthe frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. Thespacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total numberof subcarriers (K) may be dependent on the system bandwidth. Forexample, the spacing of the subcarriers may be 15 kHz and the minimumresource allocation (called a “resource block”) may be 12 subcarriers(or 180 kHz). Consequently, the nominal Fast File Transfer (FFT) sizemay be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024 or 2048 for system bandwidth of1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The systembandwidth also may be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subbandmay cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4,8 or 16 subbands for system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 MHz,respectively.

While descriptions of some implementations may use terminology andexamples associated with LTE technologies, various implementations maybe applicable to other wireless communications systems, such as a newradio (NR) or 5G network. NR may utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP)on the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) and include support for half-duplexoperation using time division duplex (TDD). A single component carrierbandwidth of 100 MHz may be supported. NR resource blocks may span 12sub-carriers with a sub-carrier bandwidth of 75 kHz over a 0.1millisecond (ms) duration. Each radio frame may consist of 50 subframeswith a length of 10 ms. Consequently, each subframe may have a length of0.2 ms. Each subframe may indicate a link direction (i.e., DL or UL) fordata transmission and the link direction for each subframe may bedynamically switched. Each subframe may include DL/UL data as well asDL/UL control data. Beamforming may be supported and beam direction maybe dynamically configured. Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)transmissions with precoding also may be supported. MIMO configurationsin the DL may support up to eight transmit antennas with multi-layer DLtransmissions up to eight streams and up to two streams per wirelessdevice. Multi-layer transmissions with up to 2 streams per wirelessdevice may be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells may be supportedwith up to eight serving cells. Alternatively, NR may support adifferent air interface, other than an OFDM-based air interface.

In general, any number of communications systems and any number ofwireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Eachcommunications system and wireless network may support a particularradio access technology (RAT) and may operate on one or morefrequencies. A RAT also may be referred to as a radio technology, an airinterface, etc. A frequency also may be referred to as a carrier, afrequency channel, etc. Each frequency may support a single RAT in agiven geographic area in order to avoid interference betweencommunications systems of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RATnetworks may be deployed.

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, where ascheduling entity (for example, a base station) allocates resources forcommunication among some or all devices and equipment within thescheduling entity's service area or cell. The scheduling entity may beresponsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasingresources for one or more subordinate entities. That is, for scheduledcommunication, subordinate entities utilize resources allocated by thescheduling entity.

Base stations are not the only entities that may function as ascheduling entity. In some examples, a wireless device may function as ascheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more subordinateentities (for example, one or more other mobile devices). In thisexample, the wireless device is functioning as a scheduling entity, andother mobile devices utilize resources scheduled by the wireless devicefor wireless communication. A wireless device may function as ascheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, in a mesh network, oranother type of network. In a mesh network example, mobile devices mayoptionally communicate directly with one another in addition tocommunicating with the scheduling entity.

Thus, in a wireless communication network with a scheduled access totime—frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2Pconfiguration, and a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one ormore subordinate entities may communicate utilizing the scheduledresources.

FIG. 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computingsystem 200 suitable for implementing various embodiments. Variousembodiments may be implemented on a number of single processor andmultiprocessor computer systems, including a system-on-chip (SOC) orsystem in a package (SIP).

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the illustrated example computingsystem 200 (which may be a SIP in some implementations) includes twoSOCs 202, 204 coupled to a clock 206, and a voltage regulator 208, and awireless transceiver 266 configured to send and receive wirelesscommunications via an antenna (not shown) to or from wireless devices,such as a base station 110 a. In some implementations, the first SOC 202may operate as central processing unit (CPU) of the wireless device thatcarries out the instructions of software application programs byperforming the arithmetic, logical, control and input/output (I/O)operations specified by the instructions. In some implementations, thesecond SOC 204 may operate as a specialized processing unit. Forexample, the second SOC 204 may operate as a specialized 5G processingunit responsible for managing high volume, high speed (such as 5 Gbps,etc.), or very high frequency short wave length (such as 28 GHz mmWavespectrum, etc.) communications.

The first SOC 202 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) 210, amodem processor 212, a graphics processor 214, an application processor216, one or more coprocessors 218 (such as vector co-processor)connected to one or more of the processors, memory 220, custom circuitry222, system components and resources 224, an interconnection/bus module226, one or more temperature sensors 230, a thermal management unit 232,and a thermal power envelope (TPE) component 234. The second SOC 204 mayinclude a 5G modem processor 252, a power management unit 254, aninterconnection/bus module 264, the plurality of mmWave transceivers256, memory 258, and various additional processors 260, such as anapplications processor, packet processor, etc.

Each processor 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 in an apparatus (suchas a processing system) may include one or more cores, and eachprocessor/core may perform operations independent of the otherprocessors/cores. For example, the first SOC 202 may include a processorthat executes a first type of operating system (such as FreeBSD, LINUX,OS X, etc.) and a processor that executes a second type of operatingsystem (such as MICROSOFT WINDOWS 10). In addition, any or all of theprocessors 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may be included as part ofa processor cluster architecture (such as a synchronous processorcluster architecture, an asynchronous or heterogeneous processor clusterarchitecture, etc.). In some implementations, any or all of theprocessors 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may be a component of aprocessing system. A processing system may generally refer to a systemor series of machines or components that receives inputs and processesthe inputs to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to othersystems or components of, for example, the first SOC 202 or the secondSOC 250). For example, a processing system of the first SOC 202 or thesecond SOC 250 may refer to a system including the various othercomponents or subcomponents of the first SOC 202 or the second SOC 250.

The processing system of the first SOC 202 or the second SOC 250 mayinterface with other components of the first SOC 202 or the second SOC250, and may process information received from other components (such asinputs or signals), output information to other components, etc. Forexample, a chip or modem of the first SOC 202 or the second SOC 250 mayinclude a processing system, a first interface to output information,and a second interface to receive information. In some cases, the firstinterface may refer to an interface between the processing system of thechip or modem and a transmitter, such that the first SOC 202 or thesecond SOC 250 may transmit information output from the chip or modem.In some cases, the second interface may refer to an interface betweenthe processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, such that thefirst SOC 202 or the second SOC 250 may receive information or signalinputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system. Aperson having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that thefirst interface also may receive information or signal inputs, and thesecond interface also may transmit information.

The first and second SOC 202, 204 may include various system components,resources and custom circuitry for managing sensor data,analog-to-digital conversions, wireless data transmissions, and forperforming other specialized operations, such as decoding data packetsand processing encoded audio and video signals for rendering in a webbrowser. For example, the system components and resources 224 of thefirst SOC 202 may include power amplifiers, voltage regulators,oscillators, phase-locked loops, peripheral bridges, data controllers,memory controllers, system controllers, access ports, timers, and othersimilar components used to support the processors and software clientsrunning on a wireless device. The system components and resources 224 orcustom circuitry 222 also may include circuitry to interface withperipheral devices, such as cameras, electronic displays, wirelesscommunication devices, external memory chips, etc.

The first and second SOC 202, 204 may communicate viainterconnection/bus module 250. The various processors 210, 212, 214,216, 218, may be interconnected to one or more memory elements 220,system components and resources 224, and custom circuitry 222, and athermal management unit 232 via an interconnection/bus module 226.Similarly, the processor 252 may be interconnected to the powermanagement unit 254, the mmWave transceivers 256, memory 258, andvarious additional processors 260 via the interconnection/bus module264. The interconnection/bus module 226, 250, 264 may include an arrayof reconfigurable logic gates or implement a bus architecture (such asCoreConnect, AMBA, etc.). Communications may be provided by advancedinterconnects, such as high-performance networks-on chip (NoCs).

The first or second SOCs 202, 204 may further include an input/outputmodule (not illustrated) for communicating with resources external tothe SOC, such as a clock 206 and a voltage regulator 208. Resourcesexternal to the SOC (such as clock 206, voltage regulator 208) may beshared by two or more of the internal SOC processors/cores.

In addition to the example SIP 200 discussed above, variousimplementations may be implemented in a wide variety of processingsystems, which may include a single processor, multiple processors,multicore processors, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 3 is a component block diagram illustrating an example of asoftware architecture 300 including a radio protocol stack for the userand control planes in wireless communications. The software architecture300 including a radio protocol stack for the user and control planes inwireless communications between a base station 350 (such as the basestation 110 a) and a wireless device 320 (such as the wireless device120 a-120 e, 200). With reference to FIGS. 1-3 , the wireless device 320may implement the software architecture 300 to communicate with the basestation 350 of a communication system (such as the communications system100). In various implementations, layers in software architecture 300may form logical connections with corresponding layers in software ofthe base station 350. The software architecture 300 may be distributedamong one or more processing systems (such as the processors 212, 214,216, 218, 252, 260). While illustrated with respect to one radioprotocol stack, in a multi-SIM (subscriber identity module) wirelessdevice, the software architecture 300 may include multiple protocolstacks, each of which may be associated with a different SIM (such astwo protocol stacks associated with two SIMs, respectively, in adual-SIM wireless communication device). While described below withreference to specific 5G NR communication layers, the softwarearchitecture 300 may support any of variety of standards and protocolsfor wireless communications, or may include additional protocol stacksthat support any of variety of standards and protocols wirelesscommunications.

The software architecture 300 may include a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) 302and an Access Stratum (AS) 304. The NAS 302 may include functions andprotocols to support packet filtering, security management, mobilitycontrol, session management, and traffic and signaling between a SIM(s)of the wireless device (such as SIM(s) 204) and its core network 140.The AS 304 may include functions and protocols that supportcommunication between a SIM(s) (such as SIM(s) 204) and entities ofsupported access networks (such as a base station). In particular, theAS 304 may include at least three layers (Layer 1, Layer 2, and Layer3), each of which may contain various sub-layers.

In the user and control planes, Layer 1 (L1) of the AS 304 may be aphysical layer (PHY) 306, which may oversee functions that enabletransmission or reception over the air interface via a wirelesstransceiver (such as the wireless transceiver 266). Examples of suchphysical layer 306 functions may include cyclic redundancy check (CRC)attachment, coding blocks, scrambling and descrambling, modulation anddemodulation, signal measurements, MIMO, etc. The physical layer mayinclude various logical channels, including the Physical DownlinkControl Channel (PDCCH) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel(PDSCH).

In the user and control planes, Layer 2 (L2) of the AS 304 may beresponsible for the link between the wireless device 320 and the basestation 350 over the physical layer 306. In the various implementations,Layer 2 may include a media access control (MAC) sublayer 308, a radiolink control (RLC) sublayer 310, and a packet data convergence protocol(PDCP) 312 sublayer, and a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) 317sublayer, each of which form logical connections terminating at the basestation 350.

In the control plane, Layer 3 (L3) of the AS 304 may include a radioresource control (RRC) sublayer 3. While not shown, the softwarearchitecture 300 may include additional Layer 3 sublayers, as well asvarious upper layers above Layer 3. In various implementations, the RRCsublayer 313 may provide functions INCLUDING broadcasting systeminformation, paging, and establishing and releasing an RRC signalingconnection between the wireless device 320 and the base station 350.

In some implementations, the SDAP sublayer 317 may provide mappingbetween Quality of Service (QoS) flows and data radio bearers (DRBs). Inthe downlink, at the base station 350, the SDAP sublayer 317 may providemapping for DL QoS flows to DRBs. In the uplink, at the wireless device120, the SDAP sublayer 317 may deliver DL received QoS flows to upperlayers. In some implementations, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provideuplink functions including multiplexing between different radio bearersand logical channels, sequence number addition, handover data handling,integrity protection, ciphering, and header compression. In thedownlink, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provide functions that includein-sequence delivery of data packets, duplicate data packet detection,integrity validation, deciphering, and header decompression.

In the uplink, the RLC sublayer 310 may provide segmentation andconcatenation of upper layer data packets, retransmission of lost datapackets, and Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ). In the downlink, while theRLC sublayer 310 functions may include reordering of data packets tocompensate for out-of-order reception, reassembly of upper layer datapackets, and ARQ.

In the uplink, MAC sublayer 308 may provide functions includingmultiplexing between logical and transport channels, random accessprocedure, logical channel priority, and hybrid-ARQ (HARQ) operations.In the downlink, the MAC layer functions may include channel mappingwithin a cell, de-multiplexing, discontinuous reception (DRX), and HARQoperations.

While the software architecture 300 may provide functions to transmitdata through physical media, the software architecture 300 may furtherinclude at least one host layer 314 to provide data transfer services tovarious applications in the wireless device 320. In someimplementations, application-specific functions provided by the at leastone host layer 314 may provide an interface between the softwarearchitecture and the general purpose processor 206.

In some other implementations, the software architecture 300 may includeone or more higher logical layer (such as transport, session,presentation, application, etc.) that provide host layer functions. Forexample, in some implementations, the software architecture 300 mayinclude a network layer (such as Internet Protocol (IP) layer) in whicha logical connection terminates at an access and mobility factor (AMF)or a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW). In some implementations,the software architecture 300 may include an application layer in whicha logical connection terminates at another device (such as end userdevice, server, etc.). In some implementations, the softwarearchitecture 300 may further include in the AS 304 a hardware interface316 between the physical layer 306 and the communication hardware (suchas one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers).

FIGS. 4A and 4B show component block diagrams of an example system 400configured to manage uplink spatial filter configuration. With referenceto FIGS. 1-4B, the system 400 may include a wireless device 402 (such as120 a-120 e, 200, 320), an UL Rx point 404 (such as 110 b, 110 c), and abase station 405 (such as 110 a).

Referring to FIG. 4A, a wireless device 402 may include one or moreprocessors 424 that may be configured by machine-readable instructions406. Machine-readable instructions 406 may include one or moreinstruction modules. The instruction modules may include computerprogram modules. The instruction modules may include one or more of areceiver/transmitter (Rx/Tx) module 408, an initial timing advance valuemodule 410, a refined timing advance module 412, and other instructionmodules.

The Rx/Tx module 408 may be configured to send signals to the UL Rxpoint 404 and to receive signals from the base station 405. The Rx/Txmodule 408 may be configured to send an initial access signal to thebase station. The Rx/Tx module 408 may be configured to receive from thebase station an initial timing advance value responsive to the initialaccess signal. The Rx/Tx module 408 may be configured to send to thebase station a next signal including a PRACH waveform via two or more ULRx points over two or more beams. The Rx/Tx module 408 may be configuredto receive from the base station a refined timing advance value. TheRx/Tx module 408 may be configured to send a further signal to the basestation via one of the two or more UL Rx points using the refined timingadvance.

The initial timing advance value module 410 may be configured to processan initial timing advance value received from the base station.

The refined timing advance value module 412 may be configured to processa refined timing advance value received from the base station.

Referring to FIG. 4B, a base station 405 may include one or moreprocessors 428 that may be configured by machine-readable instructions430. Machine-readable instructions 406 may include one or moreinstruction modules. The instruction modules may include computerprogram modules. The instruction modules may include one or more of areceiver/transmitter (Rx/Tx) module 432, an initial timing advance valuemodule 434, a refined timing advance value module 436, and otherinstruction modules.

The Rx/Tx module 408 may be configured to send signals to the wirelessdevice 402 and to receive signals from the UL Rx point 404. The Rx/Txmodule 408 may be configured to receive an initial access signal from awireless device. The Rx/Tx module 408 may be configured to send to thewireless device an initial timing advance value based on the initialaccess signal. The Rx/Tx module 408 may be configured to receive fromthe wireless device a next signal including a PRACH waveform via two ormore UL Rx points 404 over two or more beams. The Rx/Tx module 408 maybe configured to send a refined timing advance value to the wirelessdevice.

The initial timing advance value module 434 may be configured to selectan initial timing advance value for use by the wireless device.

The refined timing advance value module 436 may be configured to selecta refined timing advance value based on the next signal received via thetwo or more UL Rx points.

The wireless device 402 and the base station 405 may include anelectronic storage 422, 426, one or more processors 424, 428, or othercomponents. The wireless device 402 and the base station 405 may includecommunication lines, or ports to enable the exchange of information witha network or other computing platforms. The illustrations of thewireless device 402 and the base station 405 are not intended to belimiting, and the wireless device 402 and the base station 405 mayinclude a plurality of hardware, software, or firmware componentsoperating together to provide the functionality attributed herein to thewireless device 402 and the base station 405.

The electronic storage 422, 426 may include non-transitory storage mediathat electronically stores information. The storage media of theelectronic storage 422, 426 may include one or both of system storagethat is provided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with thewireless device 402 or the base station 405 or removable storage that isremovably connectable to wireless device 402 or the base station 405via, for example, a port (such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, afirewire port, etc.) or a drive (such as a disk drive, etc.). Theelectronic storage 422, 426 may include one or more of opticallyreadable storage media (such as optical disks, etc.), magneticallyreadable storage media (such as magnetic tape, magnetic hard drive,floppy drive, etc.), electrical charge-based storage media (such asEEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media (such as a flash drive,etc.), or other electronically readable storage media. The electronicstorage 422, 426 may include one or more virtual storage resources (suchas cloud storage, a virtual private network, or other virtual storageresources). The electronic storage 422, 426 may store softwarealgorithms, information determined by processor(s) 424, 428, informationreceived from the wireless device 402, information received from the ULRx point 404, information received from the base station 405, or otherinformation that enables each device to function as described herein.

Processor(s) 424, 428 may be configured to provide informationprocessing capabilities in the wireless device 402. As such,processor(s) 424, 428 may include one or more of a digital processor, ananalog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, ananalog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, orother mechanisms for electronically processing information. Althoughprocessor(s) 424, 428 are shown as a single entity, this is forillustrative purposes only. In some implementations, processor(s) 424,428 may include a plurality of processing units. These processing unitsmay be physically located within the same device, or processor(s) 424,428 may represent processing functionality of a plurality of devicesoperating in coordination. Processor(s) 424, 428 may be configured toexecute modules 408-412 and 432-436, or other modules. Processor(s) 424,428 may be configured to execute modules 408-412 and 432-436, or othermodules by software; hardware; firmware; some combination of software,hardware, or firmware; or other mechanisms for configuring processingcapabilities on the processor(s) 408-412 and 432-436. As used herein,the term “module” may refer to any component or set of components thatperform the functionality attributed to the module. This may include oneor more physical processors during execution of processor readableinstructions, the processor readable instructions, circuitry, hardware,storage media, or any other components.

The description of the functionality provided by the different modules408-412 and 432-436 described below is for illustrative purposes, and isnot intended to be limiting, as any of the modules 408-412 and 432-436may provide more or less functionality than is described. For example,one or more of modules 408-412 and 432-436 may be eliminated, and someor all of its functionality may be provided by other ones of the modules408-412 and 432-436. As another example, processor(s) 408-412 and432-436 may be configured to execute one or more additional modules thatmay perform some or all of the functionality attributed below to one ofthe modules 408-412 and 432-436.

FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram 500 illustrating an example method formanaging uplink timing advance configuration. With reference to FIGS.1-5 , the illustrated operations may be implemented in a processor orprocessing system) (such as 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 424) of awireless device 502 (such as the wireless device 120 a-120 e, 200, 320,402), a UL Rx point 504 (e.g., 110 b, 110 c), and a base station 506(e.g., 110 a). The signal flow diagram 500 illustrates a generalizedsignal flow of a 6-step RACH process, details of which are furtherdescribed below (FIGS. 6 and 7 ).

A 6-step RACH procedure may include messages that enable a base stationto determine an appropriate timing advance for a wireless device to usefor uplink transmissions. In various implementations, the base station506 may transmit (e.g., broadcast) a signal 510. Using information inthe signal 510, the wireless device 502 may send a signal 512 that isreceived by the base station 506. In some implementations, the signal512 may include an initial access signal, such as a first RACH signal,to initiate the RACH procedure. This signal may be referred to as a Msg1signal.

In some implementations, the base station may select and/or determine513 the initial timing advance value for use by the wireless device. Insome implementations, the base station may send to the wireless device asignal 514 that includes the initial timing advance value based on theinitial access signal. This signal may be referred to as a Msg2 a. Insome embodiments, the signal 514 may include a dedicated RACH occasion,a PRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for the wireless device to use intransmitting a next signal. In some embodiments, the signal 514 mayinclude an indication of a number of repetitions for the next signalfrom the wireless device. In some embodiments, the signal 514 mayinclude an indication of a number of beam sweeps for the next signalfrom the wireless device. In some embodiments, the signal 514 mayinclude an indication of a plurality of PRACH formats for the nextsignal from the wireless device. In some embodiments, the signal 514 mayinclude an indication of uplink resources (which may include uplinkreference signal resources) for the wireless device to use in sendingthe next signal.

Using the indicated uplink resources, the wireless device may send anext signal 516 a using a PRACH waveform via two or more UL Rx points504 over two or more beams. This signal may be referred to as a Msg3 a.The two or more UL Rx points 504 may pass on a signal 516 b to the basestation 506. In some embodiments, the wireless device may send thesignal 516 a using two or more spatial filters. In some embodiments, thewireless device may perform beam sweeping when sending the signal 516 a.In some embodiments, the wireless device may send the signal 516 a usinga number of repetitions of the PRACH waveform on each beam. In someembodiments, the wireless device may send the signal 516 a using theindicated number of beam sweeps. In some embodiments, the wirelessdevice may send the signal 516 a using the indicated plurality of PRACHformats.

The base station 506 may use the signal 516 a, 516 b received via thetwo or more UL Rx points 504 to select 517 a refined timing advancevalue. The base station 506 may send the refined timing value to thewireless device 502 in this signal 518. This signal may be referred toas a Msg2 b signal. In various embodiments, the base station 506 maysend the refined timing advance value in one or more of a PDCCH signaland a PDSCH signal. In some embodiments, the PDSCH signal may includethe refined timing advance value in a payload. In such embodiments, thePDCCH signal may include uplink grant parameters for a further signal tobe transmitted by the wireless device. In some embodiments, the basestation may send to the wireless device a PDCCH signal, such as a DCI,that includes uplink grant parameters for the wireless device and therefined timing advance value. In some embodiments, the base station maysend a timing advance command in a MAC CE. In some embodiments, the basestation may send a timing advance command in signal bits used for a NewData Indicator (NDI) and/or HARQ signal.

The wireless device 502 may send a signal 520 a that is received by a ULRx point 504. The wireless device 502 may send the signal 520 a usingthe refined timing advance corresponding to a specific UL Rx point fromamong the two or more UL Rx points. The UL Rx point 504 may send asignal 520 b to the base station 506. In some embodiments, the signal520 a may be referred to as a Msg3 signal.

In some embodiments, the base station 506 may send a signal 522 to thewireless device 502. For example, the base station 506 may sendcontention resolution information to the wireless device 502 in theevent that contention resolution is needed (e.g., in the event thatmultiple wireless devices use an identical RACH preamble to requestaccess the network). In some embodiments, the signal 522 may be referredto a Msg4 signal.

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example method 600 thatmay be performed by a wireless device in communication with a basestation for managing uplink timing advance configuration. With referenceto FIGS. 1-6 , the operations of the method 600 may be implemented by aprocessor (such as 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 424) and awireless transceiver 266 of a wireless device (such as the wirelessdevice 120 a-120 e, 200, 320, 402).

In block 602, the processor may send an initial access signal to a basestation (e.g., 110 a, 350, 405, 506). In some embodiments, the initialaccess signal may include a signal that is part of an initial accessprocess or procedure, such as a RACH procedure. In some embodiments, theinitial access signal may include a Msg1 signal of a 6-step RACHprocedure. Means for performing the operations of block 602 may includethe processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 424, and the wirelesstransceiver 266.

In block 604, the processor may receive from the base station an initialtiming advance value responsive to the initial access signal. In someembodiments, the processor may receive from the base station a dedicatedRACH occasion, a PRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for the next signal.In some embodiments, the processor may receive from the base station anumber of repetitions for a next signal to be transmitted by thewireless device. In some embodiments, the processor may receive from thebase station a number of beam sweeps for the next signal. In someembodiments, the processor may receive from the base station a pluralityof PRACH formats for the next signal. Means for performing theoperations of block 604 may include the processors 212, 214, 216, 218,252, 260, 424, and the wireless transceiver 266.

In block 606, the processor may send to the base station a next signalthat includes a PRACH waveform via two or more UL Rx points over two ormore beams. In some embodiments, the wireless device may send the nextsignal using the PRACH waveform indicated by the base station. In someembodiments, the wireless device may send the next signal using thePRACH waveform instead of or in place of a demodulation reference signal(DM RS). In some embodiments, the wireless device may send the nextsignal using the dedicated RACH occasion, PRACH format(s), and PRACHsequence(s) indicated by the base station. In this manner, the wirelessdevice may send the next signal using the indicated PRACH waveform withrepetition and beam sweeping. In some embodiments, the wireless devicemay send the next signal using the number of repetitions indicated bythe base station. In some embodiments, the wireless device may send thenext signal using the number of beam sweeps indicated by the basestation. In some embodiments, the wireless device may send the nextsignal using the plurality of PRACH formats indicated by the basestation. Means for performing the operations of block 606 may includethe processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 424, and the wirelesstransceiver 266.

In block 608, the processor may receive from the base station a refinedtiming advance value. In some embodiments, the processor also mayreceive information indicating uplink grant parameters for the wirelessdevice to use in sending a further signal. In some embodiments, therefined timing advance value may correspond to a UL Rx point from amongthe two or more UL Rx points. Means for performing the operations ofblock 608 may include the processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 424,and the wireless transceiver 266.

In block 610, the processor may send a further signal to the basestation via one of the two or more UL Rx points using the refined timingadvance. In some embodiments, the refined timing advance value maycorrespond to the one of the two or more UL Rx points. Means forperforming the operations of block 610 may include the processors 212,214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 424, and the wireless transceiver 266.

FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example method 700 thatmay be performed by a base station in communication with a wirelessdevice for managing uplink spatial filter configuration. With referenceto FIGS. 1-7 , the operations of the method 700 may be implemented by aprocessing system (such as 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) (a“processor”) of a base station (such as the base station 110 a, 350,405, 506).

In block 702, the processor may receive an initial access signal from awireless device. In some embodiments, the initial access signal mayinclude a signal that is part of an initial access process or procedure,such as a RACH procedure. In some embodiments, the initial access signalmay include a Msg1 signal of a 6-step RACH procedure. Means forperforming the operations of block 702 may include a processor (e.g.,212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) and a wireless transceiver 266 of abase station 405.

In block 704, the processor may send to the wireless device an initialtiming advance value based on the initial access signal. In someembodiments, the processor may send a dedicated RACH occasion, a PRACHformat, and a PRACH sequence for the wireless device to use andtransmitting a next signal. In some embodiments, the base station maysend to the wireless device a PDCCH signal and a PDSCH signal. In suchembodiments, the PDSCH signal may include the refined timing advancevalue in a payload. In such embodiments, the PDCCH signal may includeuplink grant parameters for a further signal to be transmitted by thewireless device. In some embodiments, the base station may send to thewireless device a PDCCH signal, such as DCI, that includes uplink grantparameters for the wireless device and the refined timing advance value.In some embodiments, the base station may send a timing advance commandin a MAC CE. In some embodiments, the base station may send a timingadvance command in signal bits used for an NDI and/or HARQ signal. Meansfor performing the operations of block 704 may include the processors212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, and the wireless transceiver 266.

In block 706, the processor may receive from the wireless device a nextsignal that includes a PRACH waveform via two or more UL Rx points overtwo or more beams. In some embodiments, the PRACH waveform received viathe two or more UL Rx points may enable the processor to determine arefined timing advance value for use by the wireless device. Means forperforming the operations of block 706 may include the processors 212,214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, and the wireless transceiver 266.

In block 708, the processor may selecting a refined timing advance valuebased on the next signal received via the two or more UL Rx points. Insome embodiments, the refined timing advance value may correspond to aspecific UL Rx point from among the two or more UL Rx points. Means forperforming the operations of block 708 may include the processors 212,214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428.

In block 710, the processor may send the refined timing advance value tothe wireless device. In some embodiments, the processor may send therefined timing advance value in to the wireless device one or more of aPDCCH signal and a PDSCH signal. In such embodiments, the PDSCH signalmay include the refined timing advance value in a payload. In suchembodiments, the PDCCH signal may include uplink grant parameters for afurther signal to be transmitted by the wireless device. In someembodiments, the base station may send to the wireless device a PDCCHsignal, such as DCI, that includes uplink grant parameters for thewireless device and the refined timing advance value.

In some embodiments, the base station may send information indicatinguplink grant parameters for the wireless device to use in sending afurther signal. In some embodiments, the base station may address therefined timing advance value specifically to the wireless device, forexample, using a TC-RNTI. In some embodiments, the refined timingadvance value may correspond to a UL Rx point from among the two or moreUL Rx points. In this manner, the refined timing advance value mayenable the alignment of the timing of downlink signals from the basestation to the wireless device and uplink signals from the wirelessdevice that are received by the UL Rx point. Means for performing theoperations of block 710 may include the processors 212, 214, 216, 218,252, 260, 428, and the wireless transceiver 266.

FIG. 8 is a component block diagram illustrating an example of a networkcomputing device 800. With reference to FIGS. 1-8 , the networkcomputing device 800 may function as a network element of acommunication network, such as a base station (for example, the basestation 110 a, 110 b, 350). The network computing device 800 may includean apparatus (such as a processing system) 801 coupled to volatilememory 802 and a large capacity nonvolatile memory, such as a disk drive803. The network computing device 800 also may include a peripheralmemory access device such as a floppy disc drive, compact disc (CD) ordigital video disc (DVD) drive 806 coupled to the apparatus 801. Thenetwork computing device 800 also may include network access ports 804(or interfaces) coupled to the apparatus 801 for establishing dataconnections with a network, such as the Internet or a local area networkcoupled to other system computers and servers. The network computingdevice 800 may include one or more antennas 807 for sending andreceiving electromagnetic radiation that may be connected to a wirelesscommunication link. The network computing device 800 may includeadditional access ports, such as USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, and thelike for coupling to peripherals, external memory, or other devices.

FIG. 9 is a component block diagram illustrating an example wirelessdevice 900. With reference to FIGS. 1-9 , the wireless device 900 (suchas the wireless device 120 a-120 e, 200, 320, 404) may be a devicesuitable for use in various implementations, such as a mobile device.The wireless device 900 may include a first SOC 202 (such as a SOC-CPU)coupled to a second SOC 204 (such as a 5G capable SOC). The first andsecond SOCs 202, 204 may be coupled to internal memory 422, 916, adisplay 912, and to a speaker 914. Additionally, the wireless device 900may include an antenna 904 for sending and receiving electromagneticradiation that may be connected to a wireless data link or cellulartelephone transceiver 908 coupled to one or more processing systems inthe first or second SOCs 202, 204. The wireless device 900 may includemenu selection buttons or rocker switches 920 for receiving user inputs.

The wireless device 900 also may include a sound encoding/decoding(CODEC) circuit 910, which digitizes sound received from a microphoneinto data packets suitable for wireless transmission and decodesreceived sound data packets to generate analog signals that are providedto the speaker 914 to generate sound. One or more of the processingsystems in the first and second SOCs 202, 204, wireless transceiver 908and CODEC 910 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) circuit (notshown separately).

The processing systems of the network computing device 800 and thewireless device 900 may be any programmable microprocessor,microcomputer or multiple processor chip or chips that can be configuredby processor-executable instructions to perform a variety of functions,including the functions of the various implementations described herein.In some mobile devices, multiple processing systems may be provided,such as one processing system within an SOC 204 dedicated to wirelesscommunication functions and one processing system within an SOC 202dedicated to running other applications. Software applications may bestored in the memory 422, 426, 802, 916 before they are accessed andloaded into the processing system. The processing systems may includeinternal memory sufficient to store the application softwareinstructions.

Implementation examples are described in the following paragraphs. Whilesome of the following implementation examples are described in terms ofexample methods, further example implementations may include: theexample methods discussed in the following paragraphs implemented by awireless device or base station including an apparatus with a processingsystem configured with processor-executable instructions to performoperations of the methods of the following implementation examples; theexample methods discussed in the following paragraphs implemented by awireless device or base station including means for performing functionsof the methods of the following implementation examples; and the examplemethods discussed in the following paragraphs may be implemented as anon-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereonprocessor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of awireless device or base station to perform the operations of the methodsof the following implementation examples.

Example 1. A method performed by a processor of a wireless device formanaging uplink timing advance configuration, including sending aninitial access signal to a base station, receiving from the base stationan initial timing advance value responsive to the initial access signal,sending to the base station a next signal including a Physical RandomAccess Channel (PRACH) waveform via two or more uplink (UL) receive (Rx)points over two or more beams, receiving from the base station a refinedtiming advance value, and sending a further signal to the base stationvia one of the two or more UL Rx points using the refined timing advancevalue.

Example 2. The method of example 1, in which receiving from the basestation an initial timing advance value responsive to the initial accesssignal includes receiving from the base station a dedicated RandomAccess Channel (RACH) occasion, a PRACH format, and a PRACH sequence forthe next signal, and sending to the base station the next signalincludes sending the next signal using the dedicated RACH occasion,PRACH format, and PRACH sequence.

Example 3. The method of either of examples 1 or 2, in which receivingfrom the base station an initial timing advance value responsive to theinitial access signal includes receiving from the base station a numberof repetitions for the next signal, and sending to the base station thenext signal may include sending the next signal using the number ofrepetitions.

Example 4. The method of any of examples 1-3, in which receiving fromthe base station an initial timing advance value responsive to theinitial access signal includes receiving from the base station a numberof beam sweeps for the next signal, and sending to the base station thenext signal may include sending the next signal using the number of beamsweeps.

Example 5. The method of any of examples 1-4, in which receiving fromthe base station an initial timing advance value responsive to theinitial access signal includes receiving from the base station aplurality of PRACH formats for the next signal, and sending to the basestation the next signal may include sending the plurality of PRACHformats.

Example 6. The method of any of examples 1-5, in which the refinedtiming advance value corresponds to one of the two or more UL Rx points.

Example 7. A method performed by a processor of a base station formanaging uplink timing advance configuration, including receiving aninitial access signal from a wireless device, sending to the wirelessdevice an initial timing advance value based on the initial accesssignal, receiving from the wireless device a next signal including aPhysical Random Access Channel (PRACH) waveform via two or more uplink(UL) receive (Rx) points over two or more beams, selecting a refinedtiming advance value based on the next signal received via the two ormore UL Rx points, and sending the refined timing advance value to thewireless device.

Example 8. The method of example 7, in which sending to the wirelessdevice an initial timing advance value based on the initial accesssignal includes sending to the wireless device a dedicated Random AccessChannel (RACH) occasion, a PRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for thenext signal from the wireless device.

Example 9. The method of either of examples 7 or 8, in which sending tothe wireless device an initial timing advance value based on the initialaccess signal includes sending to the wireless device a number ofrepetitions for the next signal from the wireless device.

Example 10. The method of any of examples 7-9, in which sending to thewireless device an initial timing advance value based on the initialaccess signal includes sending to the wireless device a number of beamsweeps for the next signal from the wireless device.

Example 11. The method of any of examples 7-10, in which sending to thewireless device an initial timing advance value based on the initialaccess signal includes sending to the wireless device a plurality ofPRACH formats for the next signal from the wireless device.

Example 12. The method of any of examples 7-11, in which the refinedtiming advance value corresponds to a UL Rx point from among the two ormore UL Rx points.

Example 13. The method of any of examples 7-12, in which sending therefined timing advance value to the wireless device includes sending tothe wireless device one or more of a Physical Downlink Control Channel(PDCCH) signal and a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) signal.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system,”and the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such as,but not limited to, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution, which are configured toperform particular operations or functions. For example, a component maybe, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program,or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on awireless device and the wireless device may be referred to as acomponent. One or more components may reside within a process or threadof execution and a component may be localized on one processor or coreor distributed between two or more processors or cores. In addition,these components may execute from various non-transitory computerreadable media having various instructions or data structures storedthereon. Components may communicate by way of local or remote processes,function or procedure calls, electronic signals, data packets, memoryread/writes, and other known network, computer, processor, or processrelated communication methodologies.

A number of different cellular and mobile communication services andstandards are available or contemplated in the future, all of which mayimplement and benefit from the various implementations. Such servicesand standards include, such as third generation partnership project(3GPP), long term evolution (LTE) systems, third generation wirelessmobile communication technology (3G), fourth generation wireless mobilecommunication technology (4G), fifth generation wireless mobilecommunication technology (5G), global system for mobile communications(GSM), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), 3GSM, generalpacket radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA)systems (such as cdmaOne, CDMA1020TM), enhanced data rates for GSMevolution (EDGE), advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), digital AMPS(IS-136/TDMA), evolution-data optimized (EV-DO), digital enhancedcordless telecommunications (DECT), Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX), wireless local area network (WLAN), Wi-FiProtected Access I & II (WPA, WPA2), and integrated digital enhancednetwork (iDEN). Each of these technologies involves, for example, thetransmission and reception of voice, data, signaling, or contentmessages. It should be understood that any references to terminology ortechnical details related to an individual telecommunication standard ortechnology are for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended tolimit the scope of the claims to a particular communication system ortechnology unless specifically recited in the claim language.

Various implementations illustrated and described are provided merely asexamples to illustrate various features of the claims. However, featuresshown and described with respect to any given implementation are notnecessarily limited to the associated implementation and may be used orcombined with other implementations that are shown and described.Further, the claims are not intended to be limited by any one exampleimplementation. For example, one or more of the operations of themethods and operations 500, 600, and 700 may be substituted for orcombined with one or more operations of the methods and operations 500,600, and 700. The foregoing method descriptions and the process flowdiagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are notintended to require or imply that the operations of various embodimentsmust be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by oneof skill in the art the operations in the foregoing embodiments may beperformed in any order.

Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended tolimit the order of the operations; these words are used to guide thereader through the description of the methods. Further, any reference toclaim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,”“an,” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to thesingular.

Various illustrative logical blocks, modules, components, circuits, andalgorithm operations described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computersoftware, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate thisinterchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrativecomponents, blocks, modules, circuits, and operations have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such embodimentdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the claims.

The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the variousillustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described inconnection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or otherprogrammable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discretehardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform thefunctions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be amicroprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implementedas a combination, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, aplurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In someimplementations, particular processes and methods may be performed bycircuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware,including the structures disclosed in this specification and theirstructural equivalents thereof, or in any combination thereof.Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationalso can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one ormore modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computerstorage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, dataprocessing apparatus. If implemented in software, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. The processes of a method or algorithmdisclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable softwaremodule which may reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readablemedia includes both computer storage media and communication mediaincluding any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer programfrom one place to another. A storage media may be any available mediathat may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to storedesired program code in the form of instructions or data structures andthat may be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection can be properlytermed a computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method oralgorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes andinstructions on a machine readable medium and computer-readable medium,which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the claims. Variousmodifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of theclaims. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the following claims and the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

1. A method performed by a processor of a wireless device for managinguplink timing advance configuration, comprising: sending an initialaccess signal to a base station; receiving from the base station aninitial timing advance value responsive to the initial access signal;sending to the base station a next signal comprising a Physical RandomAccess Channel (PRACH) waveform via two or more uplink (UL) receive (Rx)points over two or more beams; receiving from the base station a refinedtiming advance value corresponding to one of the two or more UL Rxpoints; and sending a further signal to the base station via one of thetwo or more UL Rx points using the refined timing advance value.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein: receiving from the base station an initialtiming advance value responsive to the initial access signal comprisesreceiving from the base station a dedicated Random Access Channel (RACH)occasion, a PRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for the next signal; andsending to the base station the next signal comprises sending the nextsignal using the dedicated RACH occasion, PRACH format, and PRACHsequence.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: receiving from the basestation an initial timing advance value responsive to the initial accesssignal comprises receiving from the base station a number of repetitionsfor the next signal; and sending to the base station the next signalcomprises sending the next signal using the number of repetitions. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein: receiving from the base station aninitial timing advance value responsive to the initial access signalcomprises receiving from the base station a number of beam sweeps forthe next signal; and sending to the base station the next signalcomprises sending the next signal using the number of beam sweeps. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein: receiving from the base station aninitial timing advance value responsive to the initial access signalcomprises receiving from the base station a plurality of PRACH formatsfor the next signal; and sending to the base station the next signalcomprises sending the plurality of PRACH formats.
 6. (canceled)
 7. Amethod performed by a processor of a base station for managing uplinktiming advance configuration, comprising: receiving an initial accesssignal from a wireless device; sending to the wireless device an initialtiming advance value based on the initial access signal; receiving fromthe wireless device a next signal comprising a Physical Random AccessChannel (PRACH) waveform via two or more uplink (UL) receive (Rx) pointsover two or more beams; selecting a refined timing advance value basedon the next signal received via the two or more UL Rx points, whereinthe refined timing advance value corresponds to a UL Rx point from amongthe two or more UL Rx points; and sending the refined timing advancevalue to the wireless device.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein sendingto the wireless device an initial timing advance value based on theinitial access signal comprises sending to the wireless device adedicated Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, a PRACH format, and aPRACH sequence for the next signal from the wireless device.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein sending to the wireless device an initialtiming advance value based on the initial access signal comprisessending to the wireless device a number of repetitions for the nextsignal from the wireless device.
 10. The method of claim 7, whereinsending to the wireless device an initial timing advance value based onthe initial access signal comprises sending to the wireless device anumber of beam sweeps for the next signal from the wireless device. 11.The method of claim 7, wherein sending to the wireless device an initialtiming advance value based on the initial access signal comprisessending to the wireless device a plurality of PRACH formats for the nextsignal from the wireless device.
 12. (canceled)
 13. The method of claim7, wherein sending the refined timing advance value to the wirelessdevice comprises sending to the wireless device one or more of aPhysical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal and a Physical DownlinkShared Channel (PDSCH) signal.
 14. A wireless device, comprising: aprocessor configured with processor executable instructions to: send aninitial access signal to a base station; receive from the base stationan initial timing advance value responsive to the initial access signal;send to the base station a next signal comprising a Physical RandomAccess Channel (PRACH) waveform via two or more uplink (UL) receive (Rx)points over two or more beams; receive from the base station a refinedtiming advance value corresponding to one of the two or more UL Rxpoints; and send a further signal to the base station via one of the twoor more UL Rx points using the refined timing advance value.
 15. Thewireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor executable instructions to: receive from the base station adedicated Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, a PRACH format, and aPRACH sequence for the next signal; and send the next signal using thededicated RACH occasion, PRACH format, and PRACH sequence.
 16. Thewireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor executable instructions to: receive from the base station anumber of repetitions for the next signal; and send the next signalusing the number of repetitions.
 17. The wireless device of claim 14,wherein the processor is configured with processor executableinstructions to: receive from the base station a number of beam sweepsfor the next signal; and send the next signal using the number of beamsweeps.
 18. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor executable instructions to: receive from thebase station a plurality of PRACH formats for the next signal; and sendthe plurality of PRACH formats.
 19. (canceled)
 20. A base station,comprising: a processor configured with processor executableinstructions to: receive an initial access signal from a wirelessdevice; send to the wireless device an initial timing advance valuebased on the initial access signal; receive from the wireless device anext signal comprising a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) waveformvia two or more uplink (UL) receive (Rx) points over two or more beams;select a refined timing advance value based on the next signal receivedvia the two or more UL Rx points, wherein the refined timing advancevalue corresponds to a UL Rx point from among the two or more UL Rxpoints; and send the refined timing advance value to the wirelessdevice.
 21. The base station of claim 20, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor executable instructions to send to thewireless device a dedicated Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion, aPRACH format, and a PRACH sequence for the next signal from the wirelessdevice.
 22. The base station of claim 20, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor executable instructions to send to thewireless device a number of repetitions for the next signal from thewireless device.
 23. The base station of claim 20, wherein the processoris configured with processor executable instructions to send to thewireless device a number of beam sweeps for the next signal from thewireless device.
 24. The base station of claim 20, wherein the processoris configured with processor executable instructions to send to thewireless device a plurality of PRACH formats for the next signal fromthe wireless device.
 25. (canceled)
 26. The base station of claim 20,wherein the processor is configured with processor executableinstructions to send to the wireless device one or more of a PhysicalDownlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal and a Physical Downlink SharedChannel (PDSCH) signal.